The Caffeine Eccentric :: Single serving it up
"The best part of waking up..." went the popular 80s coffee commercial jingle. You really have to sing it to get the full effect, but just imagine this: an above-average suburban housewife pulling away her Egyptian cotton sheets and double-packed Nautica bedspread, joker face on, flaring her nostrils to take a giant whiff of what awaits just past the frostbitten bay window in the kitchen--a freshly brewed piping hot pot of coffee, just seconds away from her wanton lips.
It’s a funny image (especially if you recall the hairstyles that went with the ads), but like it or not, that’s pretty much like what the first cup of the day feels like. To most of us, brewing our first cup brings some comfort.
I’ve (almost) memorized the time it takes for my coffeemaker to brew about 4 cups. The percolating sound is part of my morning routine, and I always know when it’s finished because the final cycle takes a bit longer than the rest. The aroma begins to fill the apartment at about 3 or 4 cycles and when it’s done, the rush of hot liquid running from the pot to my mug makes my mouth water before I take the first sip. Brewing a fresh pot is a ritual, and it’s the ritual that literally forces me to slow down, take a deep breath, and smell the coffee.
Then there’s single cup brewing. What started as an office convenience inevitably found its way home. Sterile. Calculated. Convenient. Single serve coffee brewing may have been made for drones in cubicles, but it wasn’t long before expediency found a new brew. And while single cup brewing promises convenience, it might be wise to do some homework before you commit to a brand new kind of coffeemaker.
Single cup brewing isn’t for everyone. I remember chatting with a friend who still laments the loss of his classic coffeemaker; he misses the sounds and the steady aroma that once coaxed him out of bed in the morning. Now, brewing a cup takes seconds. He wonders if what he gained is enough to justify what he can only remember with each nostalgic spell. But he says he loves the immediacy of it all; it’s something that helps him keep focus during his hectic schedule. There’s no waiting, no fuss, no messy cleanup (sound like an infomercial yet?) and best of all, he says the coffee actually tastes pretty good.
Keurig popularized single serve brewing with the K-Cup. The airtight plastic cup includes its very own filter and just enough grounds for one or two cups, "the perfect amount of ground coffee to satisfy every taste profile," claims the Keurig website. During the brew process, the combination plastic foil lid is punctured and hot water is forced through the filter and into the cup positioned below the spout. While the cups are made for Keurig coffee systems, the company has licensed the technology to various roasters, so you’ve probably seen K-Cups especially made for Green Mountain Coffee and other popular brands. Other variations of the K-Cup include the Senseo Coffee Pod and the Tassimo T Disc.
If you’re helplessly on the go (or just ready for something new), here are a few ideas that might get you percolating.
On the fence? The Keurig website provides more than enough info to help you make up your mind. But buyer beware: these babies aren’t cheap. If you’re extra lazy, er, I mean if you’re really on the go, you might want to look into the Platinum model. The built in water reservoir makes it easy for those who point and shoot with difficulty first thing in the morning. If you’d like a slimmer model and can do away with a few frills, the Special Edition is comparable, and at $30 less you can cut your guilt by a cup or two.
No matter how perturbed traditionalists like myself might find themselves in front of one of these high tech machines, single serve culture is on the rise. For product reviews and blog posts with up-to-date single serve tidbits, bookmark One Cup Coffee Titan. For something a bit more quirky, try the Single Serve Coffee blog; here you’ll find everything from innovative designs to fun products based on your favorite television shows.
While I can’t personally vouch for the expeditious experience that is single cup brewing (because I don’t mind the wait), it may be a worthwhile solution if you’re a mom on the go, a hopeless workaholic with an 80-hour workweek, or someone who just likes a good brew without having to wait for it.
For more information on Keurig’s leading competitors, go to Senseo online and Tassimo online.
